As we reach the end of 2020, leaders and employees are feeling as if they are limping across the finish line. While year-end fatigue is completely normal, it does reflect a simple issue many workers have faced this year: staying motivated while working remotely.

How can you as a leader and employee yourself stay motivated when physical distance separates you from your team? While there are plenty of tactics to keep the morale up, we have a few easy ways that can help both you and your staff find motivation while working apart.

1. Have a schedule & establish boundaries.

When you work in an office, it’s easy to work that 9-5 schedule. But working from home suddenly creates an overlap of your personal and professional life -- which can easily make tasks bleed together.

It’s helpful to create a work schedule that is strict enough to get things done efficiently, while still being flexible to allow for things that wouldn’t normally pop up...

More than ever, companies are shifting their business models to include more remote employees. Whether it’s the pandemic, a cost effective method, or to increase job satisfaction, a remote workforce is here for the long haul.

It’s one thing to be a remote worker, it’s another to manage them! So how do you effectively lead from a distance, while still supporting growth and success? Keep reading to see how.

1. Communicate daily and often.

One of the top challenges of working remotely is a feeling of isolation, especially if the switch out of the office is recent. To encourage connection and morale, managers should have regular check-ins with each employee every day. So what does that look like?

It can be as simple as a quick phone call, a regular video meeting or even a chat on your company’s app to let your staff know you are there for them.

Depending on the size of the company, pick a communication method that is sustainable. For example, if you have hundreds...

Team Building Ideas for a Virtual Workforce

During the recent COVID-19 pandemic, the number of employees working online has more than doubled, jumping from 31% to 62% in one three-week span alone.

As businesses begin to slowly re-open across the country, many executives are expecting to make this more of a permanent transition, so we all have lessons to learn and apply longterm.

According to one survey, 74% of managers who recently shifted to a remote work environment expect at least 5% of their former in-house employees to continue working from home even after the pandemic ends. 

This is good news in some ways as remote workers have the benefits of more freedom, but the negative side is not having a team in an office space to engage with one another and keep morale high.

Whether you plan to adopt a remote work environment on a full or even partial basis, maintaining morale is critical. Traditional team building ideas that worked in the past will require tweaks to keep workers...